


This is Gospel

by bisexualpicklewierdo



Series: Song Lyrics' Fics [4]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: M/M, if you have some tag ideas just send them over here, yeah no tags its midnight im too tired for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-05-14 14:39:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19275364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualpicklewierdo/pseuds/bisexualpicklewierdo
Summary: After Costume Day, Cyrus just wants to go home.After Costume Day, TJ just wants to see his best friend





	1. This Is Gospel

**Author's Note:**

> To get the full effect, listen to this: https://soundcloud.com/sierra-renee-stevens/this-is-gospel-triple-layered with headphones on (or else it won't work)

When the last bell rang, kids streamed out from the doors of Jefferson Middle School. Cyrus Goodman simply pushed in his chair and grabbed his books from his locker. He left the salt costume inside the locker, not wanting to have to carry it all the way home and be reminded of it. During the day, he hadn't done anything that would warrant any concern, except for avoiding TJ like the plague. He was certain that his friends had noticed something, or at least, he hoped that they would. He saw them outside the doors, waiting for him. They all looked at him with concerned looks on their faces, but he just shrugged and mumbled out an "I'll text you guys later".

He slowly walked home, passing the swings as he traveled. He paused for a moment, wondering if he should go. But then the thought of TJ possibly showing up with Kira was enough to make him back far away from the playground. He instead pulled out his earbuds and pulled up Soundcloud. He had been listening to a lot of Panic! At The Disco lately, and wanted to hear something other than his own thoughts, which were going insane inside of his head. He hit shuffle on his Greatest Panic Songs, and one noticeable track popped up.

 _This is gospel for the fallen ones/_ _Locked away in permanent slumber/_ _Assembling their philosophies/_ _From pieces of broken memories_

Whilst scrolling through Soundcloud a couple of weeks ago, he had stumbled upon this version of their classic hit. It was a triple-layered piano version, and it had struck Cyrus with so many emotions that he had to add it to the playlist.

_oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

Broken Memories. Was this day one of those? Today was supposed to be amazing, and instead, he got stood up by one of his closest friends.

_The gnashing teeth and criminal tounges conspire against the odds_

He could never really figure out that verse exactly. Was the gnashing teeth Kira, just trying to destroy everything? O were they him, conspiring against the odds, the odds of TJ doing the right thing, and being there for him

_If you love me let me go..._

Is that what he should do with TJ? Let him go? Let him do his typical straight male thing, and be with a girl that was a wolf in sheep's clothing? TJ thought that Cyrus was straight, because straight was always the default, and straight friends were ok when their straight friends ditched them for a girl they liked. Is that how it worked?

_These words are knives that often leave scars_

"Sorry, last minute decision, I should have called. Sorry." Well, those words had already left scars on him, scars that added to the many that TJ had already left. The gun, his cruelness towards Buffy, the problems with Jonah. All of the scars that added up that TJ had inflicted

_Truth be told, I never was yours_

Well, that was the truth. TJ wasn't Cyrus's person. He was his own, and he could make his own decisions. But why did his decisions always have to hurt him?

_The fear, the fear of falling apart_

Cyrus was falling apart.

_This is gospel for the vagabonds/Ne'er-do-wells and insufferable bastards_

This Cyrus almost chuckled at. But who was the ne'er-do-well, the insufferable bastard? Was it TJ, or was it Kira?

_oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

Cyrus was almost home, so close to his room, so close to safety, but so close to tears

_Because I won't give up without a fight_

He didn't fight for TJ, no. He didn't think he had to. But now, with all of this, he wanted, no, needed someone to fight for him.

_If you love me let me go_

Did Cyrus love TJ? How could he, after all of the pain he had caused him. But, despite all of that, Cyrus did have a small matchstick, a little flame in his heart that had been burning for TJ ever since he gave him an Underdog on the swings. He didn't want to let him go, but he needed to. For himself.

_The fear of falling apart_

As the three voices, the three tracks joined together as one, he knew that he was falling apart. No one would see him, no one could see him like this. He had to play the part. But here, now, with his earbuds in his ears and his tear tracks on his face, he could fall apart.

 

 

 

Across town, on the swings, TJ sat alone. He would sit there for hours, with his earbuds in, listening to the same song Cyrus was. And when his phone finally ran out of battery, he started to walk. He didn't exactly know where he was walking to, he let his feet carry him where they may. Unfortunately, though, his feet carried himself to Cyrus Goodman's mother's house, the house he was staying at for this week. TJ looked up at the window that was usually illuminated by Cyrus's room light, but right now it was dark. TJ sighed. What could he do to show Cyrus that he was sorry? A simple apology or a smile wouldn't work. Cyrus had avoided TJ all day, refusing to even meet his eyes. Buffy knew what was going on, and she just gave him a death glare whenever the two saw each other. TJ couldn't blame either of them. That double dribble costume was terrible n more ways than one, and TJ wanted to throw the shirt away as soon as possible.

Then, it came to him. He quickly sprinted home, yelled a quick "hi " to his mother and sister, ran upstairs, threw the shirt away, grabbed his summer costume, and rapidly pulled it on. He plugged his phone in, and sprinted back downstairs, shouting a quick "I'll be back soon" to his family, who had probably not even noticed that he was there. First making a pit stop in the garage to grab his boombox and making sure the song was on there, he ran back over to Cyrus's house, breathing heavily. He took a deep breath and turned on the boombox. 

 _This is gospel for the fallen ones/_ _Locked away in permanent slumber/_ _Assembling their philosophies/_ _From pieces of broken memories_

He saw some movement behind the curtains, but the lights remained off. He had to go bigger. So, he started to sing along.

"If you love me let me goooooo" he sang horribly, just trying to get the words out. A dog started barking, and he noticed that across and down the street people were looking out their windows. "Cause these words are knives that often leave scars, the fear of falling apart." He belted out, hoping and praying that Cyrus would look out his window. 

"The fear, the fear of falling apart." Suddenly, Cyrus's front door burst open, and Cyrus walked out in dinosaur PJs and a bemused expression on his face. 

"TJ?" He whispered. "What are you doing here? It's 11 o clock at night." TJ gave him a small smile and reached down to pause the music.

"Cyrus, I'm really, REALLY sorry. I was being a stupid idiot, and I let Kira get to me, and I know that you aren't gonna forgive me, but I had to do this."

Cyrus barked out a short, sarcastic laugh. "What? You had to come here when my whole street was sleeping, wake up all the neighbors, dress up in a costume you're REALLY late for, for what?" 

TJ gulped. "To show you that I love you. You're my best friend, and I really hurt you, and you shouldn't hurt the people you love."

Cyrus raised his eyebrows in surprise at this. "Ok TJ, how about this. Go home, and get some sleep. Come back tomorrow, and we can talk. Without the boombox. Ok?"

TJ gave him a weary smile. "No boombox?"

Cyrus nodded his head. "No boombox. I think my neighbors hate you now, and we don't want to give them more incentive."

"Do you hate me? TJ asked, hoping and dreaming that he would say no.

"I don't hate you, but I really should. I need time to think. So I'll see you tomorrow. 11 AM. The bench by the pond."

And with that, Cyrus turned around and walked back into his house. But, before he could close the door, he looked back at TJ and gave him a small smile.

"Get some sleep, ok?"

And then, Cyrus was gone.

TJ smiled to himself and turned around to walk back home. 11 AM sharp. He had 12 hours to figure out exactly what to say. Maybe Cyrus's ultimate Panic! playlist could help him out.


	2. King of The Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ goes to the swings to figure out what he's going to say before he meets up with Cyrus, but a certain SOMEONE comes along and ruins it.
> 
> I'M MAD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is basically the tira swing scene from a different context, but i still hope you guys like it!

TJ decided that he would go home, try to sleep, and then wake up earlier the next morning to try to plan out something to say. The boombox and This Is Gospel had been an ok icebreaker, but he needed a speech, not just a song. So, instead of going to sleep, he started writing things out in his notebook. By 3 am, his room was covered in crumpled-up pieces of paper, and he himself was a mess. How could he verbalize the utter feeling of sadness when Kira talked to him at the basketball court that day. That feeling that made him question his own self, that made him decide that it was better to go along with everyone's expectations of him, that he was, of course, going to do a costume with a girl instead of a guy, even though he didn't want to. That feeling of fear that took hold in him every time she sat next to him and looked down on Cyrus. He hated that feeling, and her. 

But how did he feel about Cyrus?

By now his phone was charged and ready, so he plugged in his headphones and hit shuffle on Cyrus's ultimate Panic! playlist. 

_Heaven knows that I'm born too late/_ _For these ghosts that I chase/_ _With these dreams, I inflate, painted skies in my brain/_ _Every day, I'm Carl Sagan in space/_ _To escape this old world, this old world_

A smile etched itself onto TJ's face. This song didn't make a lot of sense to him lyrics-wise, but it had a fun beat that was perfect for jamming out to in your room. He hummed along to the chorus a bit, but eventually changed the song to something a little deeper. Unfortunately, Dying in LA came on, and at that point, TJ couldn't get any more work done that night.

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

At 9 am, TJ's phone set off a blasting ringtone; his least favorite song entitled "The Middle" by Maren Morris. It was so overplayed, he just couldn't stand it. He groggily rolled over and stopped the blaring tune. He got up and did his usual morning stuff, then went downstairs, grabbed a bagel, yelled a quick goodbye to his sleeping mom and sister, then walked out of the house. He had two hours to figure out exactly what he was going to say to Cyrus. His big apology. 

His feet led him to the swings, and he sat there for a moment, just taking it all in. He pulled his tangled earbuds out of his pocket and jammed them into his phone. Turning Cyrus's Panic! playlist up, he relaxed to the tune of LA Devotee and imagined how his and Cyrus's conversation was going to go. 

Then, the worst possible person to show up. Kira.

"Hey Kippen!" she exclaimed

No. No no no. "Uh, hey Kira. What're you doing here?" he asked, trying to play it off as cool as possible.

Kira sat down on the adjacent swing and shrugged. NO. "I dunno, just woke up and was bored." She suddenly noticed TJ's earbuds and smiled. "Whatcha listening to?" she asked mischievously. And before TJ could say anything, she had grabbed his phone and pulled out his earbuds.

She scoffed. "Panic at the Disco? Really? Well, I guess I should've expected it from  _you_ , Kippen."

A surge of anger flared up in TJ. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kira laughed. "God Kippen, nothing. Chill. Hey, what about we both get to enjoy the music?" And with that, she turned u the volume, put TJ's phone down beside her, and started to swing. LA Devotee faded off, and then the next song queued up.  _King of the Clouds_

Kira smiled. "Now this is more like it!" And with that, she started to swing higher and higher.

Despite himself, TJ smiled. It was his favorite song and a great one for swinging and singing to. So, he started to swing as well, belting out the lyrics. "I don't trust anything/or anyone, below the sun."

They both joined together for the chorus, swinging higher and higher and laughing louder and louder, and eventually jumping off.

_I'm king of the clouds, of the clouds/_ _I get lifted, I get lifted/_ _King of the clouds, of the clouds/_ _I get lifted, I get lifted_

 

 

Unknown to TJ, however, Cyrus had had the exact same idea as him. He too had planned on going to the swings a bit early, to try to low-swing out all of his "stuff" before the big conversation. He walked through the forest to the swings, which made the swingers not be able to see him. Cyrus could see them, however. Kira and TJ, at his special place, singing along to one of their mutually favorite bands, which TJ had sorta-serenaded him with less than 12 hours beforehand. Cyrus didn't think that your heart could be broken by someone who was never yours, but he was finding out right now. He turned around and started walking slowly and deliberately back to his house. He was done with TJ Kippen. For good this time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didnt think i was gonna end it with angst, but ive had an angsty 24 hours so HERE YA GO
> 
> ill probably continue with the theme of panic songs, and have 1-3 more parts of this
> 
> i sorta like The Middle, but it is SO overplayed, and Maren Morris had some amazing country songs that were shuttled to the side when The Middle hit
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper


	3. Crazy=Genius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TJ and Cyrus try to fix their situation, with some help from Panic!, Bexie, and cute bracelets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this work is a combination of nostalgia, 3 days of procrastination, and just generally wanting to give this oldie a happy ending.

Cyrus stormed back into his room and flopped onto his bed. How could he be so stupid? He thought TJ might have actually changed, well boy was he wrong. His tears leaked out onto his pillow, and he took a minute to think.

_Well, technically you're being sort of overdramatic. I mean, he never said that he was going to stop hanging out with Kira. He just said that he was sorry. He wasn't really doing anything wrong, they were just swinging. And yes, it does feel like the swings are sort of your place, but you don't own them. Free public use. You're just overreacting. You can't control who he's friends with. You don't want to be that guy. So just take a breather, and get ready to go at 11._

And even though this part of his brain was being completely rational, Cyrus still stayed in his bed until much after 11, even when the texts from TJ came rolling in. His head buried in his pillow, he decided that being rational wasn't going to work in this situation.

\---------------------------

After Kira left soon after their King Of The Clouds swings sing, TJ walked around the pond a few times and thought of some talking points, including _bad decision, worried about judgment,_ etc. But he knew that the real reason was one that he could never tell Cyrus. That he was worried that if he did their costume together, other people might pick up on the fact that he had a big, gay crush on Cyrus. And he wasn't ready to tell anyone that yet. He had barely come to terms with telling himself that. But at the same time, Cyrus would see through all those reasons in a blink. He was Cyrus after all, one of the most perceptive people TJ had ever known. He had such an air about him that made you want to trust him so implicitly, that TJ felt bad about swinging with Kira just a few minutes ago.

TJ frowned to himself. Was swinging with Kira a bad thing? If not, then why did he feel guilty about doing it? Maybe because he had betrayed Cyrus yesterday with her, so he felt bad about hanging out with her. Or maybe because the swings were where they had first really talked, and where they had made up after the whole Reed+gun thing. So it was technically a double betrayal. _Oh shit._ TJ realized in horror that there was no way that he would be able to truly apologize to Cyrus without telling him about the swing thing. And that was probably going to make him even sadder. _Double shit._

TJ waited by the bench until 11:30, constantly texting Cyrus.

 **11:05** Me: Hey Cy, are you getting here soon?

 **11:06** Me: It's weird, you're hardly ever late for anything.

 **11:10** Me: Ok I'm officially getting a little worried

 **11:15** Me: If you don't respond in 10 minutes, I'm calling you. And I never call ANYONE so that would be a big deal

 **11:27** Me: Straight to voicemail, unlike me, lol

 **11:28** Me: Wait I didn't mean to send that

 **11:28** Me: Ok disregard that whole message, I'm coming over. You never forget anything, and I'm really worried.

TJ stood up, and rushed over to the Goodman house for the second time in 24 hours, constantly checking his phone. He had inadvertently come out to Cyrus, and he still wasn't texting him back? Something had to be wrong. Unless...no. There was no way that Cyrus could've seen him on the swings with Kira. It would be the biggest and worst coincidence in the world. And yet...TJ couldn't help but think that that was the exact problem.

He rang the doorbell twice and sighed in relief when Cyrus's mom answered the door.

"Oh, hi TJ!" she said excitedly, but with the tone of someone confused."Are you looking for Cyrus?"

"Hi Dr. Goodman, yes I am. Is he here? We were supposed to meet up half an hour ago, and since we both know he's nothing but punctual, I got a little worried."

Dr. Goodman furrowed her brow. "Well yes, he is here, although he seemed a bit off this morning. He said that he was going to the park at 9, but came back around 9:30 and went straight to his room. Hasn't come out since."

TJ internally cursed. He and Kira had been swinging around 9, and it seemed like the worst coincidence had happened. "Is it ok if I go up and talk to him?"

Dr. Goodman opened the door wide. "By all means, if there's anyone who can get him out of this funk he's in, it's you."

TJ blushed slightly and walked through the door, and up to Cyrus's room. He knocked softly on the door, and when that elicited no response, opened it gently.

"Hey Cy, it's TJ." he spoke softly. Cyrus was lying facedown on his bed, seemingly asleep. But TJ knew better than that and walked over to his bed. "Cyrus, I literally taught you the fake sleeping trick. It'll work on everyone, but me. Now can you please sit up so we can talk?" And with that Cyrus rolled over, and sat up on his bed. He was wearing a cute yellow shirt and black pants, but his hair was messy and he had a blank expression on his face.

"Oh, hey TJ." Cyrus leaned over to grab his phone, but TJ stopped him. 

"Cy, why didn't you show up for our talk 30 minutes ago?" he asked

"Dunno. Didn't feel like talking to you." Cyrus tried again to grab his phone, but TJ dropped it onto the floor. “What the hell TJ?” Cyrus explained, looking up at TJ for the first time. TJ was taken aback.

“What the hell for dropping your phone on the floor?” TJ asked tentatively.

“No!” Cyrus exclaimed. “I mean yeah, but no! Why did you ditch our costume for that incredibly stupid one with Kira of all people, why were you at our place this morning, swinging, to a Panic at the Disco song which you just boomboxed me with last night, honestly just what the hell are you doing because it feels like I keep giving you second chances and you keep hurting me.” Cyrus shouted. TJ stared at him and dropped his head in his hands. 

“I, I can’t tell you.” 

Cyrus stared at him.  “You can’t tell me what?”

“Cyrus I know that I’ve been doing some very shitty things lately and I want to tell you why but I just...can't,” TJ mumbled.

Cyrus pursed his lips, and blinked his eyes, looking like he was trying not to cry. “Then can you please leave?” he asked softly. TJ nodded and stood up. He walked towards the door, but then before he left turned and looked back at Cyrus.

“I wish I could tell you, but I’m just not ready yet.”

And with that, he walked out the door. Cyrus flopped back down onto his bed, his body wracked with sobs. 

TJ walked out of the house, silent tears streaming out of his eyes. Ignoring Dr. Goodman’s calls out to him, he walked over to the record shop. Maybe Andi or Buffy would be there to cheer him up. But then he remembered that they were probably furious at him too, and more tears inched out. Well, the record shop would still be better than going home to the judgy eyes of Amber.

He walked through the door and looked around. The shop was deserted, except for a young-ish couple behind the register. They looked to be debating something, and TJ walked over to the records as quietly as possible. Still, they noticed him.

“Hey!” The man called out. “Need help finding something?” TJ froze.

“Um, do you have any Panic! At The Disco?” he asked nervously. “I have some holes in my collection.” 

The man walked over to him. “Well, what kind of mood are you in?” 

TJ sighed. “Well I pretty much just destroyed my relationship with my best friend.” _and my crush_ he silently added, “So I would love some Death of A Bachelor to drown out my feelings.” 

The guy looked at him worriedly. “Want to talk about it?” TJ glanced over at the woman, who was looking at them in earnest. She noticed him looking and quickly looked away.

TJ shifted slightly. “Well, I don’t know how comfortable I am with talking to a stranger-” The guy held out his hand.

“Hi, I’m Bowie Mack. Owner of Red Rooster Records, father of Andi Mack, husband to Bex Mack, and ok giver of advice. Nice to meet you…”

TJ’s eyes widened. “You’re Andi’s dad?” This guy looked like he couldn’t be older than 30. Bowie chuckled.

“Guilty as charged. Are you friends with Andi? Boy whose name I still don’t know?”

TJ pursed his lips. “I’m an...aquaintance. And my name’s TJ. TJ Kippen. 8th grader at Jefferson Middle School, brother of Amber Mack, and former friend of Cyrus Goodman.” Bowie seemed to understand.

“Oh, so you’re the mysterious TJ that Andi Buffy and Cyrus are always talking about. And your sister is Amber? Yeah, I’ve heard her name mentioned too.” TJ blushed.

Bowie sat down in a chair and gestured for TJ to sit too. TJ did hesitantly, and Bowie propped his chin on his fists. “So, what happened between you and Cyrus? Last I heard, the two of you were thick as thieves.” 

TJ cringed. “Well, I kind of ditched him on costume day for this girl’s costume, and the costume I ditched him on was sort of my idea. And then today we were going to talk, but then I sort of went to our place, and the girl came, and Cyrus saw and got sad. But I can’t tell him why I ditched, so there isn’t any way for me to fix this.”

“And, why can’t you tell him that you ditched?” Bowie asked gently.

“Because...well...I just can’t. It’s both the most stupid and the most valid reason why someone would ditch their best friend for the stupidest girls costume, and I can’t tell anyone because I’ve barely managed to tell myself that that’s actually what I feel!” TJ stood up and ran his fingers through his hair hurriedly. Bowie looked over at the woman and gave a little “help me here” head tilt, and she walked over to them.

  
“Look TJ,” she said softly. “I think we know what the reason is, and let me say that it’s completely and totally ok to feel that way. People have done much crazier things than that because they have those kinds of feelings for another person. But honestly, I think you need to tell Cyrus the exact reason why you ditched the costume. He isn’t going to judge you, he’s Cyrus after all! You’ll be fine.”

TJ looked back and forth between the two. Then, he nodded and stood up. “Thank you, Bowie, and?” The woman smiled. “Bex. Manager of Cloud 10, mother of Andi Mack, husband of Bowie Mack, and giver of advice to many young people.” TJ let out a little laugh and went to walk out of the store. But before he could make it, he felt a hand on his arm. 

“Here you go, TJ.” Bowie held out a _Crazy=Genius_ record and smiled. “Free of charge. May these brash words of a pansexual singer remind you that you may have done something crazy, but now…” Bowie trailed off and looked back at Bex helplessly. Bex laughed. TJ furrowed his brows. Bowie turned back to him and shrugged. “I’m not very good at the advice thing, so just take the record and good luck.” TJ smiled and walked out of the store.

Walking towards his house, he started to hum.

_Hey, ay, ay, If crazy equals genius._

_Hey, ay, ay, If crazy equals genius_

_Then I'm a fucking arsonist_

_I'm a rocket scientist_

_Hey ay, ay, If crazy equals genius_

He had to do something even crazier than his mistake to get Cyrus to forgive him. Luckily, he had an idea.

\------------------------------------

Cyrus woke up to an Instagram notification. _@TJ_Kippen had just posted a video._ He groaned and rolled over. What could TJ have even posted? He opened Instagram and scrolled over to TJ’s page. He clicked on the video and proceeded to watch it.

The video opened with a bunch of pictures of Cyrus and TJ. At school, at the park, every picture they had ever taken together. The song _Crazy=Genius_ was playing in the background. After the song faded out, it transitioned to TJ sitting in his backyard. “Hey, guys.” He said. “Well, it’s TJ, as you’ve probably already guessed. Those were some of my favorite pictures ever, pictures of me and my best friend Cyrus.” TJ stared directly into the camera. “But here’s the thing. Cyrus Goodman is more than my best friend. He’s my _person._ The kindest, smartest, most understanding guy I know. And I’ve been a really, really bad friend to him lately. And Cyrus, if you’re watching this, then I’m so _, so_ sorry _._ I have a reason for why I’ve been such a shitty friend lately, but it’s a little too personal to share on Instagram, so Cyrus, if you’re watching this, I’m coming over at 1 to tell you. And the way I tell you might be a little crazy but as Panic! At The DIsco says so artfully, If crazy equals genius then I’m a rocket scientist. So, Cyrus, I’ll see you at one. And, once more, I’m so sorry.”

 The video faded out, and Cyrus looked around his room, trying to comprehend what had just happened. TJ had just taken their fight to social media. Now everyone was going to be all up in their business about this! Already, texts were coming in from Andi and Buffy about the video, and had he seen it, and what had happened between them. Cyrus groaned, and checked his watch. It was 12:50. Enough time to run away and never return to Shadyside? Probably not. Cyrus took a deep breath. He could do this. He could listen to TJ’s reason, acknowledge that it was a shitty reason, and then forgive him. Because Cyrus knew that no matter what TJ did, he would always forgive him. Cyrus knew that he shouldn’t always forgive his crushes so easily, but he still found himself doing it anyway.

Cyrus decided that he didn’t want to do this at his house, so he walked out to the front stoop and sat down. At 12:59 exactly, he saw TJ walk up the street. TJ noticed that he was sitting there, and started jogging slightly. Cyrus gave him a small wave and a sad smile. TJ walked up to the stoop and sat down next to him. Neither boy spoke for a moment, but then Cyrus turned to TJ.

“So, what’s this reason for all of this,” Cyrus spoke bluntly. TJ winced and took a deep breath.

“Well, let me first start with the swings earlier this morning. I went to the park earlier, to try to sort out my feelings beforehand. Kira showed up, took my phone, and made a snide remark about me listening to panic at the disco, which I’ll touch on in a second. Then she started swinging and played King of the Clouds. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I swang along. I know that that was betraying your trust, and I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have done it.” Cyrus raised his eyebrows. 

“Ok...now what about costume day.”

TJ fidgeted. It was now or never. “The day before costume day, Kira showed up at the park when I was playing basketball with some guys. She told me about her costume, and I rejected her because I said that I already had a costume with you. But then she...she said some things that hit me hard. And that made me nervous. So I defected to do the costume with her because she made it sound like she knew one of my secrets that she might tell people if I didn’t do the costume with her.” Cyrus’s eyes widened.

“So, she was using implied blackmail,” he said slowly. “What was the secret that you didn’t want her to tell?”

TJ reached into his pocket, and with shaking hands, pulled out a bracelet. He dropped it in Cyrus’s hands and then turned away. Cyrus looked at the bracelet. It was a [ simple leather bracelet with a metal ](https://www.amazon.com/Nanafast-Titanium-Stainless-Rainbow-Bracelet/dp/B010MFKWSC/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=pride+bracelet&qid=1566509216&s=gateway&sr=8-5)clasp. The metal had rainbow stripes on it, and understanding dawned on Cyrus. 

“Amber gave two to me once she figured it out,” TJ said slowly, his back still turned to Cyrus. “Before the whole Kira thing, I was going to give you yours this weekend, or today I guess. Tell you everything. But due to circumstances…” TJ let out a choked sound that could either be a laugh or a sob. 

“TJ, look at me.” TJ turned back to Cyrus, his eyes bloodshot. “Teej, first of all, I love you no matter what your sexuality is. It doesn’t matter, and no one should use it against you. You don’t get to choose who you love but you do get to love who you choose.” 

TJ sniffled and turned back to Cyrus. “What do you mean by that?”

Cyrus shrugged. “Well, it means you don’t choose your own sexuality or you don’t know who you will love, your love life is ambiguous, nevertheless once you’re in a relationship and you want to take things more seriously then you get to choose to love that person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Essentially, you should love whoever the fuck you want.” TJ fake-gasped.

“Cyrus, you never swear!” he exclaimed. 

Cyrus laughed. “Well, I feel like the situation called for it, so…” TJ threw his arms around Cyrus, and Cyrus immediately returned the hug. The two boys sat there, on the front stoop, for what felt like hours. Finally, Cyrus broke the silence tentatively.

“But, how did she figure it out? I mean, I had no clue, and I’m your best friend.”

TJ groaned. “Well, um, ah, well, so she sort of...well apparently, so I have this crush...and I’m not as discreet as I thought I was.” Cyrus gasped, although there was some hidden hurt behind his eyes. 

“Who?!” he asked, although secretly he could feel his heart breaking. If TJ had such an obvious that the Queen of Mean herself had figured it out, how had he not seen it?

TJ blushed. “Well, I’ll give you a hint. I just gave him a bracelet, and he’s my best friend so I hope that he doesn’t reject me too badly.”

Cyrus gaped at TJ, lost for words.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bracelet is real, and I linked it in the work, so if you guys want to get it, you can! Also hope you caught the Descendants 3 reference lol, I CANNOT get that song out of my head. Also, I quoted my bff @annielovestyrus, so if you can figure out her quote, I will write a work off the prompt of your choice. The epilogue is already basically written in my head, so that will be out VERY soon. Hope you guys liked it!  
> As always, comments+kudos bring me smiles, so please leave some!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper


	4. Death of A Bachelor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilouge, aka happy fluffy shit

Cyrus checked the photos on Instagram he was about to post. There were two, the first one an aesthetic-type one of the two of them holding hands, highlighting their bracelets, and the second was a typical black-and-white coupley photo of the two of them on the swings. TJ snuck up behind Cyrus and threw his arms around the shorter boy.

"Teej!" Cyrus squealed. Tj laughed and walked around him to look at the photos.

"Wow, those are sure some well-edited photos," he remarked playfully. "You'll have to give me the number of the guy who did those." Cyrus laughed, and put his arm around TJ's shoulder, pulling him close.

"You sure you're ok with this?" Cyrus asked for the 100th time that day. The two boys had taken the photos yesterday with the assistance of Amber, and the next day was Monday, aka school. Aka, if Cyrus posted these photos, they would be out to the whole school, as a couple.

"Cyrus, first of all, I was the one who posted the Instagram video in the first place. Second of all, I bought us the bracelets with the hope that we would be able to take cute couple photos like this. So I think I should be the one asking  _you_ if you're ok with this."

Cyrus smiled up at his boyfriend and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. TJ smiled and pulled him closer. 

"So, what were you thinking for the caption?" he asked.

Cyrus blushed. "Well, in keeping in turn with our Panic!-ladden weekend..." He turned the phone towards him, and TJ grinned at the caption.

**Death of a Bachelor! #beproud.**

"I love it." TJ beamed down at Cyrus. Cyrus returned his smile and counted down.

"One, two, three..." He clicked  **post** , and they both sucked in a breath simultaneously as the post loaded. Then, it was up. TJ grabbed Cyrus's phone and threw it onto a chair in his room. 

"Ok, now we are having a technology-free afternoon so that we don't go insane watching who likes it, and who is a homophobic asshole. Or who isn't active on insta. Which means...drumroll please...we are going to the Spoon!" Cyrus laughed.

"Don't we go there, like, once a day?" TJ smiled and pulled him closer.

"Yeah, but now we can go as a couple, and do hilariously hetero-typical!" 

"Oooh, like split a milkshake with two straws? And sit on one side of a booth, therefore wasting precious booth space to be closer to one another?"

"Exactly! Although..." TJ flashed his phone. "I am bringing my phone, so I can take selfies for Instagram."

Cyrus smiled. "So, what are we waiting for?"

And with that, they grabbed the hands of each other and walked out the door, both humming

 _The death of a bachelor_  
_Oh oh_  
_Letting the water fall_  
_The death of a bachelor_  
_Oh oh_  
_Seems so fitting for_  
_Happily ever after (woo)_  
_How could I ask for more?_  
_A lifetime of laughter_  
_At the expense of the death of a bachelor_

And a lifetime of laughter it would certainly be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We DONE! I'll probably be inav=ctive for a bit unless someone solves my Annie-quote challenge in chapter 3 and gives me a prompt, but I have LONG fic idea in the making, either chaptered or just a general mega-fic. Love y'all!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper

**Author's Note:**

> i was bored and in a weird mood, so behold this monstrosity of a fic
> 
> its v sad so... sorry!
> 
> Also if you would like to hear my ultimate Panic! playlist, just comment below or chat me on Tumblr!
> 
> Tumblr: bi-tyrus-shipper


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